St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-27
AVOID DE BE.
Regarding Danger Women Are a.
Liable 10 as Men

Liable 70 as Men.
In spite of the healthier tone existing
there is still too much indifference to debt
atioat. and among other reforms sorely
needed is that of the public verdict on those
who spend beyond their means to pay, and
so make others suffer for their pleasures,
says writer in the Queen.
In this We are sorry to say that women,
who ought to be the great torch-bearers of
virtue, and who in some directions assume to
themselves that office, to the absolute eXtnc-
ton Of men. are to the full as reprehensi-
BILE as men, and perhaps more so. The
curse OF social emulation and
personal jealousy lies heavily on them; and
that terrible striving to appear richer than
they are, which racks society from end to
END, centerS in them more than in men.
Very few women who are not misery are
content to be simple-to live we'll within
their means. having all things in harmony
and all things i'll Sufficiency, those which
are unseen as well as those which are visi-
bic. Most of them prefer an outside grand
eur with sklmped and dilapitated interior,
so that the world to which they sacrifice
shall commend and perhaps envy-seeing
nothing of the flaws below the sur
face. What the family feels does
not count. what the servants say is not
heard; of self-respect there is no question;
of the sentiment of thoroughness also is
there none. The whole strength of the
management goes to make show-to have
an occasional dsplay-and the debt by
which this is brought about troubles the
conscience of the lady as little as the dis
comfort of her family disturbs her
feelings. Her friends do such and
such things in such and such a
style; so must she. She puts her
Self-reSpect in emulation-nOt in sir
cerity. not in thoroughness-and holds
herself worthy Of her position in pro-
portion 10 the extent to which she spreads
its pretense and increases its fundamental
rottenness. If she gives dinners she goes
beyond her home powers and has to borrow
from the outside. A plain, well-cooked
simple, and succulent repast, such as she
could accomplish without aid, and such as
would delight her guests, would be con-
fession of comparative poverty she could
not be induced to make. Wherefore she
spends more in bad imitation of first-ciass
cooking than her finances can properly af-
ford, and goes into debt for the margin
What is true of housekeeping is truer
still of personal eXpenses-thes nilliner's
bill and the dresSniaker'S-with the thous-
and little fads and fancies dear to the femi-
nine mind and destructive to the feminine
sense of honor. Some women have neither
conscience nor compaSsiOn-neither thought
nor feeling for the Door creatures whom
they mulct-the victims whom they cheat.
One runs up bill with her laundress and
quietly ruins Woodworking woman
who has nothing but her own labor be-
tween herself and starvation But
our line lady, who does nothing
more arduous than dress. paint her face,
tlrt, and dine out uses her incomes Oh
things that show and ignores those that do
not. Hence she runs in debt with her laun-
dress, who dares not offend her for fear of
losing everythng-with her smaller trades
people and with her seryantS-but she paws
large sums to the florist who will not leave
so much as bunch of viOlets unpaid, to the
large shops which demand cash down, are
to the VINE merchants whose orders and
tanked by request for a check and not
executed until the Quid pro quo is RENTED.
A room like tropical bOwer-a well-ap-
pointed carriage for her airings-wine of a
line brand for cOnnOisSeurs-tlies are of
the first necessity to our spendthrift lady,
who makes the little tradesfolk paw. now
by their distress and now by their completed
ruin. for the tineries, which, according to
her, are the sum and substance of her lady
hood. All. how many ruined homes and
desolated lives these thoughtless, selfish,
self-indulgent people have made!